Checkmate
by Al-Saiduq
Summary: Izaya's own game finally turned against him.


**DRRR!: Property of '_Not Alina-hime's '_**

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><p>"Checkmate, Shizu-chan."<p>

He looked down at the board tentatively, lost in thought about his next move and the moves after it.

_Everyone is a pawn. _

On a rainy afternoon in Shinjuku, Orihara Izaya enjoyed a game of chess. His opponent showing up at the door, unannounced, declaring a game of chess. It was unexpected, really. Heiwajima Shizuo playing chess against Izaya, who saw life and his own schemes as a game of chess. Always plan two steps ahead of everyone and know the strategy. Shizuo was losing, no doubt, and they were on their second game.

_As long as you know a strategy, you can't lose. _

"Hmmm... Another game. Third time's a charm." Shizuo said with a bit of amusement in his voice. Izaya knew he was losing his mind, but might as well play along rather than fall into a mind trap.

"Can you handle another defeat, Shizu-chan? Normally you'd have flung the table across the room, if not at my face." Izaya said, poker faced. He was unaffected by Shizuo slouching on the sofa opposite of his own, but it was the fact that it was _Shizuo _for heaven's sake. 'This is only a figment of my imagination. It's only a manifestation of hallucination.'

"I'll only stop when I win."

'Stop playing or...'

"Fine. But let's spice it up. Every pawn I get from you means I get to ask a question. Every piece you take from me... I'll tell you a truth. Sounds fair?" Izaya arranged his black pieces in line. A wavering smirk adorning his flawed face. Nights without sleep haunting the area under his eyes, his complexion growing paler from going out little to never, and lines showing hints of malnutrition painting a detailed picture. Orihara Izaya was giving up.

But Shizuo only shrugged and agreed to the terms.

_Every humans are his pawn._

_His only hindrance is his opponent. _

Check.

"Why?" No further explanation. The full question understood between the two party.

He only shrugged. "Guess I'm not ikebukuro's strongest."

'_Liar...'_Izaya denied that theory. A theory that haunted him for months.

_He can predict the moves of his opponent. _

A mistake.

They paused from the game and Izaya hummed, deep in thought.

"Hmmm... I hate your guts." Izaya stated, eyes closed looking apathetic. Shizuo half-smiled and 'tsk'-ed at the man across from him.

"I thought I was supposed to get a truth. Not horse shit flying out your mouth." Shizuo said amusedly.

"I never said the whole truth. You'll get the rest in time, Shizu-chan." 'Because you need to know the truth before this ends.'

"Aaahh.. I see."

_Simple solution is to outsmart the imbecile and claim victory.__  
><em>

Time passed and small, irrelevant questions and trivial facts about Izaya were thrown around in the duration of the game. It was only a matter of time before the game ended and Izaya knew that it would be the very last game played.

_But what if his opponent were to outsmart him? Just this once.__  
><em>

Checkmate.

"I win."

He stood from his place on the couch and walked to his side. He places both hands on either side of his face only to be harshly slapped away.

"One more game, dammit! Don't think I'll let something so minor end everything like that!" Izaya yelled, enraged. He lost his game. A game he openly played, be it with pawns or /pawns/, he never lost his game with unsatisfying results. Shizuo only wrapped his arm around Izaya's waist and placed his chin on the crown of Izaya's head, pulling him closer into an embrace.

"Tell me the whole truth."

"Why should I!" He snapped into the chest of the ex-bartender. Izaya clutched the pure white, buttoned down shirt of Shizuo's and hid his face from the world he so carefully manipulated. Why should those eyes see their God so weak?

"Iiizaaayyaaa..." He growled quietly. The memories of their life before filled Izaya with bitter nostalgia. "I need to know, but more importantly, you need to say it." Izaya contemplated it and opened his mouth to retaliate but his hallucination beat him to it. "If you hated me, like you said, you'd have wanted me gone the minute I challenged you."

"Idiot. Like I could hate you. I love you but I hate this..."

"Then let this go."

"If I do, then my only connection with him will be gone." his voice began to grown hoarse. Shizuo comfortingly strokes his hair.

"No it won't. I only want you to live your parasitic life. Not without me because I'm gonna be here, hallucinations or not. Izaya. We're stuck together. See this string?" Shizuo put up his hand and his pinky was tied with a red string. On his carpeted floor, the string entangled around his flat and infested the ground with red. "And look at your hand."

He held up his left hand and saw a red string adorning his pinky as well.

He heard legends of the "red string of fate" and only believed it to be a myth. Seeing it now, so real and there, he began to question the validity of it being a myth.

"This means that no matter where we go, we're tied together by fate. I may not be here by your side, but I will be accompanying you every step of the way." Shizuo mused. Izaya was speechless for a period of time until he felt hot tears graze his cheeks and on to his lap.

"I never told you this... But I love you." Izaya closed his eyes for a brief second. He felt something akin to soft lips tenderly touching his forehead. He opened his eyes to solitude. The man by his side, playing chess with him only minutes ago, no longer there. The immensely long string on his pinky and flooded on his ground all gone. All that was left was his King piece. Once coloured with black, it became white. Not an off-white like the piece Shizuo played with, but white like his being. Pure.

_When the opponent trumps the player with moves as unpredictable as his own, he was left unable to decide. _

_Checkmate._

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><p><strong>AN: Oh man this was a bitch to write but it wasn't too bad XD ****  
><strong>**Here's some explanations: ****  
><strong>**Yes. Shizuo died. From what? Use your imagination. ****  
><strong>**Izaya's been hallucinating about Shizuo being there playing chess with him and this whole chess thing was a metaphor, basically Izaya had been playing this big ole game with his precious humans and the only person to exceed beyond him was Shizuo, his opponent. In my head, he never admitted his feelings to Shizuo and it led to his new, unhealthy lifestyle that haunted him till he finally lost his game and, when he I finally confirmed and recognized the truth, he could rest his mind (and Shizuo) in peace. **

**It's taken me a couple of months but I'm almost done with ****Someone Like You****. ****Changed**** is gonna get an update soon as well. Excuse the poor progression. I'm running low on ideas and so many things are going on OTL;; Big thank you to all my reviewers and readers for the encouragement but mainly to Algorithmic Paradox of Love for the big push I've needed for a long long long time.**

**Enjoy this simple one-shot!**


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